BALTIMORE, MD--June 13, 2011 Dr. David Larach was chief of cardiac anesthesiology at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson Maryland when in 2001 he suffered a massive stroke. Waynet Jones was a human resources professional for JP Morgan in Maryland when in 2005 she too suffered a massive stroke.

Two very different lives have been affected by the same permanent side effect of their stroke. David and Waynet both suffer from aphasia and lost their ability to communicate.

June is nationally recognized as Aphasia Awareness Month. Aphasia is defined as a loss or reduction of language following brain damage typically as a result of a stroke. This includes talking, understanding, reading, and/or writing. David and Waynet have worked long and hard to regain their ability to put their thoughts into language. Both have been successful at regaining their ability to communicate by using WordQ + SpeakQ.

WordQ + SpeakQ helps stroke and aphasia patients turn thoughts and ideas into language. Aphasia patients who use WordQ two times a week or more for six weeks improved their accuracy, comprehension, and ability to speak words by 15-24 percent, according to research conducted by Donna Polelle, Ph.D.

Seven years after his stroke, David Larach has resumed his writing and research career. He recently coauthored and published "A Life Worth Living: Seven Years After Craniectomy" in the medical journal, Neurocritical Care. tiny.cc/SCALE_David_Larach.

Five years later, Waynet Jones has returned to the board of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., a Down Syndrome Advocacy Group based in Frederick County, Maryland, and has joined the board of the Stroke Comeback Center. She relies on WordQ + SpeakQ to keep her meeting notes.

David is a member of the Snyder Center for Aphasia Life Enhancement (SCALE). SCALE is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life for people living with aphasia and their families. SCALE is the Baltimore area's first dedicated aphasia support and community center. scalebaltimore.org

Waynet is a member of the Stroke Comeback Center. Located in Vienna, VA. The Stroke Comeback Center is a community based nonprofit organization that provides programs for stroke families. It is the only center of its kind in the Washington, DC area. strokecomebackcenter.org.

Alien hand syndrome (also known as anarchic hand or Dr. Strangelove syndrome[1]) is a neurological disorder in which the afflicted person's hand appears to take on a mind of its own. Alien hand syndrome is best documented in cases where a person has had the two hemispheres of their brain surgically separated, a procedure sometimes used to relieve the symptoms of extreme cases of epilepsy. It also occurs in some cases after other brain surgery, strokes, or infections.....